What's New

Resources updated between Monday, September 12, 2016 and Sunday, September 18, 2016

September 18, 2016

Screen grab from video showing arrest of Palestinian female terrorist

A Palestinian woman was arrested on Sunday after being found carrying a knife near the settlement of Itamar in the northern West Bank.

The woman, seen in a video wearing traditional dress, took a knife out when being questioned by a Israeli security official, according to reports.

The video showed her sitting on the ground with her hands up. There were no injuries in the incident.

The six attacks on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday - four stabbings, a car ramming and a rock throwing - caught many Israelis by surprise, as the violence that marked 2015 and early 2016 appeared to have waned in recent months, and raised fears that regular attacks could return.

Earlier on Sunday, an Israeli officer was stabbed and moderately injured in the West Bank settlement of Efrat. The attacker, identified as Baha a-Din Muhammad Khalil, was shot immediately after stabbing the victim and was taken to a Jerusalem hospital for treatment, the army said.

The Israel Defense Forces deployed an additional infantry battalion to the West Bank city of Hebron on Saturday evening.

The decision to reinforce the flashpoint locale with the Kfir Brigade's Shimshon Battalion was made "in accordance with situation assessments following recent terror attacks," the IDF said in a statement.

"The motivation and inspiration to carry out attacks against Israelis remains strong. That's why the IDF is strengthening its operational and intelligence efforts to stabilize the situation on the ground and deter these acts of terror," a military official said, speaking anonymously.
"[The Eid al-Adha holiday] and September are always more susceptible to spikes in violent Palestinian activities," the official said.

However, he noted, though the attacks over the weekend were "of course a change from recent weeks, we cannot currently point to any major change on the ground that indicates it will increase."

On Saturday morning, an IDF soldier was lightly wounded in a stabbing attack in the West Bank city of Hebron.

The assailant, identified as Hatem Abdel-Hafiz al-Shaloudi, was shot and killed by security forces near the Tel Rumeida neighborhood of the city, the army said.

A video from the scene showed Shaloudi approaching a soldier at a checkpoint near the West Bank city's Jewish neighborhood of Tel Rumeida and presenting him with a piece of paper, ostensibly his identification papers. The moment the soldier accepts the paper and glances down at it, Shaloudi is seen pulling out a knife and lunging at him.

A Palestinian man stabbed an Israeli IDF officer outside the West Bank settlement of Efrat, south of Jerusalem, at 6 a.m. Sunday, the army said.

The officer, a reservist, was said to be in moderate-to-serious condition by Magen David Adom emergency medical personnel, but he was later upgraded to moderate condition at the hospital.

The incident occurred near the entrance to the settlement, where the officer's unit had been carrying out a sweep of the area.

According to the message sent to Efrat residents, the assailant who had been "hiding in some bushes jumped out and stabbed the officer."

The victim was stabbed "near the armpit" and has been taken to Jerusalem Hadassah Ein Kerem hospital, according to a spokesperson for the medical center.

The 30-year-old officer "communicated with us the whole way to the hospital and was in stable condition," MDA paramedics Issa Dawith and Moshe Benita said.

The attacker, identified as Baha a-Din Muhammad Khalil, was shot immediately after stabbing the victim, the army said.

Khalil, approximately 30 years old, was also taken to Hadassah Ein Kerem for treatment, the army said.

He was moderately injured, with a gunshot wound to the head, a hospital spokesperson said.

The stabbing came approximately four hours after the community's security system picked up movement some 440 yards (440 meters) from the settlement's fence, according to the note sent to resident.

"Forces are carrying out a sweep in order to secure the area," the army said in a statement.

Oded Revivi, the head of the local council, told Army Radio that the settlement's schools would open as usual, despite the attack, albeit with increased security.

"We're preparing for a regular day," Revivi said.

The IDF deployed an additional infantry battalion to the southern West Bank city of Hebron on Saturday evening, following two days of attacks against soldiers and civilians, the army said.

The decision to reinforce the flashpoint locale with the Kfir Brigade's Shimshon Battalion was made "in accordance with situation assessments following recent terror attacks," the IDF said in a statement.

"The motivation and inspiration to carry out attacks against Israelis remains strong. That's why the IDF is strengthening its operational and intelligence efforts to stabilize the situation on the ground and deter these acts of terror," a military official said, speaking anonymously.

Five attacks on Friday and Saturday - three stabbings, a car ramming and a rock throwing - caught many Israelis by surprise, as the violence that marked 2015 and early 2016 appeared to have waned in recent months, and raised fears that regular attacks could return.

"[The Eid al-Adha holiday] and September are always more susceptible to spikes in violent Palestinian activities," the official said.

However, he noted, though the attacks over the weekend were "of course a change from recent weeks, we can not currently point to any major change on the ground that indicates it will increase."

The Hebron area, where Palestinians, Israeli settlers and soldiers live in close proximity, has been a frequent scene of clashes between Israeli security forces and Palestinians, as well as terror attacks by Palestinian assailants.

In the past year, Israel saw a wave of so-called "lone wolf" Palestinian terror attacks, which claimed the lives of 35 Israelis and four foreign nationals since October 2015. Over 200 Palestinians have also been killed in the past year, with the Israeli army and police saying that most of those killed were attackers or involved in clashes with security forces.

IDF soldiers came under attack during a raid in Nablus early Sunday morning, with residents of the northern West Bank city hurling stones at them, the army said.

The troops were in the city to confiscate tools and machinery used to manufacture weapons. As they carried out their raid, a number of Palestinians began throwing rocks at them, the army said. No injuries were reported.

The rock throwers were caught and handed over to police, the military said in a statement.

The gun manufacturing equipment was confiscated for further investigation, the army said.

In separate raids, soldiers arrested six additional Palestinian suspects, one who is believed to have taken part in violent demonstrations, another for allegedly belonging to the Hamas terrorist organization and four more for undisclosed reasons, the army said.

In recent months, the IDF, Israel Police and Shin Bet security service have been cracking down on the manufacture and sale of illegal weapons, especially the deadly, and dead-simple to produce, Carlo-style submachine gun.

This year, over 30 shooting attacks have been carried out with illegally produced weapons. Israel's security agencies have arrested more than 140 people suspected of being involved in the creation or distribution of illicit arms, police said last month.

Hundreds of illegal guns and nearly 50 pieces of manufacturing equipment have also been confiscated in raids across the West Bank in recent months, according to police.

In August, the IDF and other security agencies carried out the largest operation of the year thus far, raiding seven gun manufacturing workshops and seizing dozens of weapons and pieces of equipment.

The ongoing crackdown has already had an effect on the market, driving up the price of guns Col. Roman Gofman told the Associated Press last month. For example, a crude Carlo-style submachine gun cost around $500 a few months ago, whereas now it can cost upward of $2,500, he said.

Over the weekend, Palestinians and a Jordanian national carried out six attacks on Israeli security forces and civilians, raising fears that regular attacks could return, after several months of relative quiet.

"[The Eid al-Adha holiday] and September are always more susceptible to spikes in violent Palestinian activities," a military official, who asked not to be named, said on Saturday night.

However, he noted, though the attacks over the weekend were "of course a change from recent weeks, we can not currently point to any major change on the ground that indicates it will increase."

In the past year, Israel saw a wave of so-called "lone wolf" Palestinian terror attacks, which claimed the lives of 35 Israelis and four foreign nationals since October 2015. Over 200 Palestinians have also been killed in the past year, with the Israeli army and police saying that most of those killed were attackers or involved in clashes with security forces.

Israeli soldiers and security forces at the scene of a stabbing attack in Hebron

An IDF soldier was lightly wounded Saturday morning in a stabbing attack in the West Bank city of Hebron, according to officials.

The assailant was shot and killed by security forces near the Tel Rumeida neighborhood of the city, the army said.

A military statement said the attacker drew a knife during a routine security check in Hebron's Tel Rumeida neighbourhood, wounding the soldier. "In response to the immediate threat, forces at the scene shot the assailant, resulting in his death," the statement said.

The Palestinian health ministry named the man killed as Hatem al-Shaloudi, 25. He was a resident of Tel Rumeida.

The incident was the fifth apparently terror-related attack of the weekend, and the third in the Hebron area.

Hanan Ashrawi, a senior Palestinian official, condemned Israel for the "extra-judicial killings" of the attackers but did not condemn the attacks themselves. "Israel is flagrantly employing a systematic and willful policy of summary executions against the Palestinian people; such provocative acts are in direct violation of international law and conventions," Ashrawi said.

"We call on the international community to engage rapidly and effectively before it is too late."

Israel blames the violence on a campaign of incitement by Palestinian political and religious leaders compounded on social media sites that glorify attackers as heroes and encourage more attacks.

Following Saturday's incident the IDF said, "the attacks in recent days are just another example of the danger of Palestinian incitement spread through social media."

On Friday morning, a Jordanian national was shot and killed as he attempted to stab a Border Police officer at the Damascus Gate in Jerusalem.

Less than an hour later, a soldier shot and killed a Palestinian man and seriously wounded a Palestinian woman who allegedly carried out a car-ramming attack outside the Kiryat Arba settlement next to Hebron.

On Friday afternoon, a bus driver was also lightly wounded when unidentified perpetrators threw rocks and glass bottles full of paint at his vehicle on the highway between Jerusalem and the Ma'ale Adumim settlement.

A bus driver was lightly injured Friday when rocks and glass bottles full of paint were thrown at his vehicle as it traveled from Jerusalem to the nearby Ma'ale Adumim settlement in the West Bank, police said.

Glass shards from a broken window hit the driver, cutting him, as he was driving down the Route 1 highway. No other injuries were reported.

Police officers began searching the area to find the perpetrators of the attack, according to a police spokesperson.

Earlier in the day on Friday, Israeli soldiers shot and killed a Palestinian man and seriously injured a woman as they carried out a suspected car-ramming attack outside the Kirya Arba settlement near Hebron, the army said.

Less than an hour beforehand, a Jordanian national was shot and killed by Border Police officers at the Damascus Gate in Jerusalem's Old City as allegedly charged at them with a knife, police said.

In the past year, Israel saw a wave of so-called "lone wolf" Palestinian terror attacks, which claimed the lives of 35 Israelis and four foreign nationals since October 2015. Over 200 Palestinians have also been killed in the past year, with the Israeli army and police saying that most of those killed were attackers or involved in clashes with security forces.

The scene of the car ramming attack outside the Kiryat Arba settlement near West Bank

Israeli soldiers shot and killed a Palestinian man and seriously injured a woman during a car-ramming attack at a bus stop outside the Kiryat Arba settlement in the West Bank on Friday, the army said.

The driver and passenger were shot as they plowed their car into the bus stop at the Elias Junction near the settlement, the IDF said.

"Two assailants rammed a vehicle into a civilian bus stop at the Elias junction near the community of Kiryat Arba," an army statement said. "Forces at the scene fired at the vehicle resulting in the death of one of the assailants while the other was wounded."

The man was pronounced dead on the scene. The Palestinian woman was shot in the stomach and seriously injured. She received preliminary treatment at the scene, before being taken to Jerusalem's Shaare Zedek Medical Center, the hospital said.

Three Israeli teenagers - two boys and a girl - were also taken to Shaare Zedek, suffering from panic attacks and some light injuries that occurred while running away from the alleged car-ramming, the Magen David Adom ambulance service said.

Inside the suspects' truck, IDF soldiers also found a knife, the army said.

The man was identified by Palestinian media as Firas al-Birawi Khadour, and the woman was named as Raghad Khadour from the nearby village of Bani Na'im.

According to Arabic media reports, the assailants were related to Majd Khadour, who rammed her car into the same Kiryat Arba bus stop in June.

The incident was the second attempted attack on Friday. Less than an hour before, police officers shot and killed a Jordanian man who they said was trying to stab one of them at the Damascus Gate in Jerusalem.

Three knives found by police officers that were in the possession of the Jordanian terrorist

Border Police shot and killed a Jordanian man on Friday as he attempted to stab a female officer at the Damascus Gate in Jerusalem's Old City, police said.

The officer was not injured in the attack.

The man arrived at the Damascus Gate from inside the Old City and approached a group of officers with a knife drawn.

The officers, who were in the area on a "safety and security mission," saw the man coming towards them with the blade and opened fire, police said.

Upon searching the man's body after the attempted attack, police found three knives in his possession.

The 28-year-old assailant was carrying a Jordanian passport, but police were still investigating if he also held a Palestinian ID card. His name has yet to be released.

The man entered Israel through the Allenby border crossing on Thursday afternoon.

It was not immediately clear why he was in Israel, though it is possible he was visiting for the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha, which ends on Friday.

The area has been closed off, and additional officers were brought to the scene, the spokesperson said.

This was the first attack at the Damascus Gate in nearly six months. Last year, the Old City locale was the scene of numerous stabbings and shooting attacks by Palestinians. The violence has dramatically waned in the past several months.

The Obama administration is furious about Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu's recent objection to Palestinian plans for a state with "no Jews." In a video posted on September 9, 2016, Netanyahu made the obvious comments that the Palestinian effort to purge all Jews from the West Bank amounts to "ethnic-cleansing" and "ethnic cleansing for peace is absurd." The State Department responded by shooting the messenger, calling Netanyahu's remarks "inappropriate and unhelpful."

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas makes no secret about Palestinian intentions. As he boasted to the interim Egyptian President while on a visit to Cairo in July 2013: "In a final resolution, we would not see the presence of a single Israeli – civilian or soldier – on our lands."

The State Department's reaction to Netanyahu opens a window into the nature of modern antisemitism, as well as possible Obama plans to drive a permanent wedge between Israel and the United States via the Security Council before he leaves office.

Simultaneously with promoting a Jew-free state, Palestinians routinely accuse Israel of "ethnic cleansing." A mere two days after the State Department's scolding of Netanyahu, on September 11, 2016, Abbas crowed that Israel "is advancing settlement construction, ethnic cleansing, premeditated killings and violation of holy sites, turning it into an object of criticism across the entire world."

The ethnic-cleansing mantra is frequently accompanied by Palestinian charges of 'apartheid,' 'racism,' and 'Judaization.' The common thread of such hate speech is that the facts are irrelevant. Nearly two million Arabs live in Israel with more freedoms than in any Arab state.

Moreover, the ethnic-cleansing libel is really not about "settlements." It is made in order to shatter the legitimacy of a Jewish state, period – often by shamefully appropriating Jewish history. Here is Abbas at the UN's annual Palestinian Solidarity Day on November 29, 2012: "The Palestinian people miraculously recovered from the ashes of Al-Nakba of 1948, which was intended to extinguish their being... in one of the most dreadful campaigns of ethnic cleansing and dispossession in modern history." The same statement was repeated by Palestinian UN ambassador Riyadh Mansour as recently as May 15, 2016.

The State Department's response to years of Palestinian charges of ethnic cleansing against Israel has been silence. So when the Prime Minister of Israel took issue with Palestinian calls for an ethnically-cleansed Jew-free Palestine, why the sudden histrionics?

The answer is that the charge of ethnic cleansing directed against Palestinians is the quintessential inconvenient truth.

This truth threatens to interrupt what looks increasingly to be President Obama's post-election plot not to veto a Security Council resolution that would criminalize settlements.

Netanyahu's candor challenges President Obama's line of thought, spelled out by U.S. Ambassador David Pressman at the General Assembly on November 24, 2015 as follows: "terrorism, violence, settlements and demolitions are increasingly creating a one-state reality and imperiling the viability of a two-state solution."

Connecting "terrorism" and "settlements" in this way is as offensive as drawing a straight line between alleged American misdeeds and 9/11, or between Gitmo and San Bernardino.

No doubt the linkage is attractive in foreign policy circles. Speaking at an event about antisemitism, held on September 7, 2016, for instance, UN General Assembly President Mogens Lykketoft of Denmark actually said: "Some of my closest lifelong friends are Jewish" before launching into a tirade on Israeli "repression" and "illegal settlements" coupled with claiming the Assembly was engaged in a "tireless fight against any kind of hate and incitement."

During Lykketoft's one-year tenure, which ended September 13, 2016, the General Assembly adopted 19 resolutions condemning Israel and 7 critical of human rights violations by all other 192 UN countries combined. Action on Syria totaled one resolution, despite upwards of 400,000 dead and counting. The UN's egregious discrimination and demonization of the Jewish state – directed at Israelis regardless of where they live – is the anti-Jewish kind of hate and incitement.

The State Department went on offense because they have no defense. Playing the settlements card and advocating for a Jew-free Palestine is not a move to promote peaceful co-existence. It's an intrinsic part of a 67-year old xenophobic attempt to wipe the only Jewish state off the map. Truth ought to be more "helpful" than lies.